Argentina: Great march against neoliberal government

On March 7, 2017, tens of thousands of Argentine workers took the streets of this country against the neoliberal policies promoted by the right-wing government of President Mauricio Macri.

The Argentina’s CGT Labor Federation convened the national march. Several trade unions and civil organizations, including, unions of the construction and building materials supported it. According to CGT officials, the main objective of the march was to express the voice of the Argentine people against the government's job cuts, the lifting of import restrictions and other anti-worker policies.

The national mobilization was joined by at least three union organizations affiliated to the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) in Argentina: the Ceramic Workers’ Union of the Republic of Argentina (FOCRA); the Construction Employees and Allied Workers' Union (UECARA) and the Construction Workers’ Union of the Republic of Argentina (UOCRA). All these organizations affiliated to the CGT and legitimate representatives of construction workers, ceramists and construction employees and allied workers in this country.

The numbers of President Macri's current right-wing government are alarming. Only seven months after Macri took power in the Republic of Argentina (2016), the number of layoffs in the public and private sector exceeded 130,000, poverty rose from 19.8% to 33.2%, while indigence increased to reach 38% in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires. In addition, electricity, water and gas tariffs increased by up to 500%.

BWI stands in solidarity with the Argentine working people and its affiliated organizations in their daily struggle for a better quality of life for the entire Argentine population.